Word information
Simplified泼冷水
Traditional潑冷水
Pinyinpōlěngshuǐ
Part of speechGeneral
HSK 3.07-9
HSK 2.0Not listed
Chinese word dictionary
泼冷水
pōlěngshuǐ · to pour cold water on; (fig.) to dampen sb's enthusiasm
Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 泼冷水
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Related vocabulary
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
冷lěng
cold; surname Leng
水shuǐsurname Shui; water; (after a name) ... River; to swim (used mostly in 會水|会水[hui4 shui3] and 水性[shui3 xing4]); (coll.) lacking in substance; shoddy; (bound form) additional cost; extra income; classifier for washings of a garment
水果shuǐguǒfruit; CL:個|个[ge4]
矿泉水kuàngquánshuǐmineral water; CL:瓶[ping2],杯[bei1]
水平shuǐpínghorizontal; level; a standard; a level (of ability, development etc)
寒冷hánlěngcold (climate); frigid; very cold